DESCRIPTION, OVERALL (provided by applicant): This competitive renewal application is submitted in response to RFA DK-11-022, Silvio O. Conte Digestive Diseases Research Core Centers, requesting continued funding of the Texas Medical Center Digestive Diseases Center (called DDC for simplicity). This Center serves basic and clinical scientists at institutions withi the Texas Medical Center (Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, the MD Anderson Cancer Center) in Houston, TX. Our qualifying Funded Research Base Is $19,872,379 (direct costs) and includes 24 separate awards from NIDDK totaling $7,222,613 (36% of total digestive disease-related funding). Reflecting the goals of these projects, this is a Center for Gastrointestinal Infection and Injury. Institutional resource commitments in space, funds and personnel support this effort. Including new positions in basic and clinical departments from multidisciplinary, independent faculty to establish new research programs. This Center facilitates on-going Digestive Diseases research, promotes translational research between basic and clinical areas, develops new projects, nurtures new investigators, and provides educational activities. Support is requested for an Administrative Core, three Basic Science Cores (Cellular and Molecular Morphology, Functional Genomics and MIcrobiome, Integrative Biology) and one Clinical Core (Study Design and Clinical Research). In addition, our Pilot/Feasibility and Enrichment Programs, including a Career Development Initiative, to support innovative ideas and new Investigators in Digestive Disease research and foster collaborations are a key part of the DDC and have been extremely successful. The Center is a multidiscipllnary group of Investigators of 50 Full Members and 78 Associate Members, Including basic and clinical scientists with proven track records of success, and well-coordinated clinical programs dealing with pediatric and adult Gl patients. Center leaders are senior scientists-administrators experienced in directing interactive, multidisciplinary programs. A large, multi-ethnic population of infants and adults with Digestive Diseases emphasizes a need and opportunities for this Center.